Chapter 49: Night Crawlers

Chapter 49: Night Crawlers

Sara slowly opened her eyes. Her mouth feels dry. There was a chill to her skin. As she starts moving, she slowly realized she was naked. The moment that realization hits her she moved into a protective position. Her head has a throbbing headache.

“Where am I?” she whispers.

“Our web,” Judy Slice said.

“Cousin,” Sara was instantly puzzled.

“You remember my name,” she said giggling.

“Why are you hiding?” Sara asked looking around. It took several moments to understand she was in her old apartment.

“You don’t want to see us,” she giggles again.

“Who is us?”

Only giggles were the answers.

“You are creeping me out, Judy.” Sara slowly starts getting onto her feet.

“That’s the point,” this time it was the landlord speaking. He starts moving around in the shadows.

Sara was now standing upright. The apartment was dark but she can hear them moving around her. She can feel something was very wrong here. She starts moving towards the door, Judy giggling behind her. Sometimes she has the odd feeling her cousin was breathing down her neck. The moment that her fingers curled around the doorknob, she felt things crawling over the blanket wrapped around her. “What the hell,” she dropped it onto the floor. Wide eyed she watch the things crawling around.

“Don’t hurt my pets, cousin.” Judy giggles again.

“I think you are dead,” Sara finally said what was in her head. The moment the door opened she start running. She can hear them actively crawling behind her. Everywhere her eyes look she sees night crawlers. The moment she managed to opened the front door she stumbled running outside.

Jesper slowly opened his eyes. He instantly felt something heavy pushing down onto his chest. His fingers curled into a tight fist starts opening and closing. Once he felt them mobile, he starts pushing against whatever was tightening his chest.

“Don’t move,” the familiar voice spoke from somewhere in the darkness.

“Groundskeeper,” he said clearly puzzled.

“What have you done?” the man asked worried.

“What are you talking about?” he tried moving whatever was on his chest. It still won’t move.

“You released the night crawlers. This only happened once, many years ago.” The groundskeeper said clearly worried. “You need to get up.” He said urgently.

“I can’t, something is holding me down.”

“You are a slow learner. The barriers are in your mind. Whatever is holding you down, you have the mind power to released yourself. Now get up. The night crawlers are all over the grounds.”

Jesper finally released the urge to get up. Taking deep even breathes until he finally felt the weight lifting from his chest. Now moving fast getting onto his feet. His eyes searching wanting to understand what he was looking at. It took a couple of seconds to realized the groundskeeper was gone.

“Shit,” he mumbles.

It slowly dawns on him he should leave the grounds. Whatever he opened in his search for Grace, was now all around him. These things were once humans but it was clear they are undead now crawling all around the grounds.

“Grace, where are you?” he asked the wind.

The captain still cruising his town searching for Sara Miller. He only briefly took his eyes of the road, when he suddenly needed to brake. He managed to hit her still. Once his vehicle stopped, her climbed out quickly. He watched her scrambling onto her feet.

“Sara,” he asked shocked. He can see the dried blood and dirt all over her naked skin. “Are you okay?” he reached for her.

“We need to leave,” she said frantically. “They are coming.” She runs to the other side of the vehicle getting inside.

The captain looks around in the direction from where she had come running. It took him several moments to understood whatever was coming his way, wasn’t human. He quickly climbed into the cruiser locking the doors.

“What the hell is that?” he has already started his cruiser.

“Dead things,” Sara said hysterical.

The captain speed away but it didn’t take the things long to sound the warning alarm. Now driving recklessly, he made a point of hitting whatever was in front of the vehicle. In the rearview mirror he noticed they keeps getting back onto their feet.

“They won’t die,” Sara said as she starts scratching her arm. She was creating fresh blood.

“Don’t do that,” The captain slammed his hand over the exposed scratch mark. “Conceal the blood now.” He orders.

Sara just keeps scratching. The captain watched the things attach to the vehicle watching them with cold malice. It was clear to him now that they are drawn to the blood. He briefly looked at the girl beside him. It was clear she won’t stopped scratching herself. On impulse he suddenly stopped the cruiser, unlocked the door and pushed the girl outside. He instantly pulled away, watching in the rearview mirror as the night crawler rushed towards the fresh blood.

Jesper managed to reach the iron gates. He saw the groundskeeper on the other side just watching him. The moment he felt a bony hand grabbing his shoulder, he reacts fast shaking the bones from his frame. He grabbed hold of the iron bars before he starts climbing. Each time he was half way, a hand start pulling him back.

“Let go,” he yelled now kicking the thing through his rotten face. The moment it dropped onto the ground, it was replaced by another.

“Jesper,” the loud calling of Grace froze him on the gates. He looks around, that’s when he saw her in the window of the mansion. He watched the night crawlers all over the walls but somehow, they can’t seem to enter.

“Don’t listen to her,” warns the groundskeeper.

“Grace needs me,” he said.

“That’s an illusion. You are looking for your death,”

“I will simply be reborn again,” he said looking for a way to reach the wall. From there he could run the length searching for a way to reach the mansion. There was still a large open piece of grounds he needed to cover with his feet.

The captain drives to his police station with the certain knowledge he just killed someone in his most basic fear and need of survival. Getting out of the cruiser her rushed inside locking the building down. He always enjoyed night shift but tonight he truly could use some help. The moment he looked up he saw his death.

Jesper searched the sky watching as the clouds clear. The moon was big and bright. He looks down onto the ground watching curiously as the night crawlers seemed to rush for cover. This was the opportunity he needed to jump down. The moment his feet hit the ground he found himself being pulled under. Darkness quickly covers his face.